


Swim, not Sink

by Bluewolf458



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: Gen, Sentinel Thursday
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-26
Updated: 2017-01-26
Packaged: 2018-09-20 02:07:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9470636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bluewolf458/pseuds/Bluewolf458
Summary: Blair thinks about whether he wants to accept the offer of a badge





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Sentinel Thursday prompt 'sink'

challenge 569 - sink

Swim, Not Sink

by Bluewolf

Blair sat on the beach watching the moon sink slowly towards the horizon - that strange line where the sky met the sea that was curving out of view. He knew that not even Jim could see the sea any further than that line marking the point where the curve of the earth's surface took it out of sight.

The sky was brightening just a little - behind him, hidden from view by the line of hills behind him, the sun was close to rising.

In a way that was a metaphor for his life.

Everything that he had worked for for so many years lost to view, dipping out of sight like the setting moon, but with the rising sun of the future still hidden.

What should he do?

He had abandoned his dreams for the future without a second thought, letting them sink into the obscurity where night-time dreams lurked, mostly unremembered. But what of the future?

He could admit to himself that he had enjoyed the... yes, the challenge of working with Jim, helping Jim solve cases, when he had been a mere observer; but could he make a career of it? He thought he could, but would it be possible? Part of his job would involve giving evidence in court... but he had given himself a reputation as a man who would make up his facts. Had made up his facts.

He certainly couldn't expect a defence lawyer to forget about his very public denial of his work, couldn't expect the kind of lawyer who would defend some of the sleazier criminals to miss any chance of undermining the truthfulness of the man giving evidence against his client. All right, any time his integrity was challenged in court he could point out the difference between attempted (and admitted) academic fraud and giving evidence under oath, and hope that the jury would understand the difference.

But that was the one thing that made him doubt the viability of working as a cop. The very thought that a criminal might escape justice because of it make his heart sink.

'It was a good piece of fiction...' His own words came back to him.

If he could lean on those words...

"Here you are."

Blair glanced up and smiled at his friend. "Hi, Jim. Just getting a few things clear in my mind."

"And?"

"I'll be happy to accept Simon's offer."

"Good. Now how about coming back to camp and having some breakfast? You've been out here for a while."

"Good idea."

"And Chief - I've been thinking. We need to have a word with the DA about that press conference of yours - "

"I was thinking the same," Blair said. "Establish a credible story so that anyone who tries to discredit me gets slapped down immediately by the court. Once that's done two or three times, no more attempts to have my testimony thrown out as fabricated." He scrambled to his feet and joined Jim. Side by side they headed for their camp. Both were thinking hard.

"Okay," Jim said as they reached the camp. "Just in case someone asks either of us under oath about my senses, not that I think that's likely - can we admit that I have excellent eyesight - in the 20/20 range or maybe just a trifle better, and the other senses are good, in the top percentile like the tea and coffee blenders you found before we met, but that you exaggerated how good they are in a document initially written in the form of a thesis because that was the form of writing that came most naturally to you? You used my name to help you focus, but you were planning to change the names before rewriting the thing as a proper novel? Something you did to fill the hours spent on the kind of stakeout we knew was probably going to be wasted time, but where you didn't want to risk doing anything... well, important, in case the perp did turn up. It wasn't neglecting the stakeout because I remained on watch. Your mother thought it really was your thesis and sent it without your knowledge to Sid Whatshisname for a professional assessment..."

"Not realizing that a professionally edited thesis would be unacceptable anyway," Blair muttered. "Any editing has to be what the dissertation committee asks for, to clarify something, and it has to be your own editing. Or that once it was professionally published I couldn't submit it as a thesis because the University hadn't seen it first. Even without... what happened, Naomi really screwed up."

"All right," Jim said. "We go and see the DA on Monday, tell him that. See what he says.

"Meanwhile, we have the weekend to enjoy. So let's enjoy it." He poured two mugs of coffee as Blair searched in the food box for bagels.

Within a couple of minutes they were leaning back comfortably, munching on bagels washed down with coffee, and arguing amicably over how to spend the day - which, like Blair's future, promised to be good.

 


End file.
